retrocities deluxe

2008-05-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

fly fishing in w. pa

2008-05-26T11:34:00.003-05:00

so, its been a while, but there are a bunch of trout in the traverse creek and they seem to like to hang out at the confluence of raccoon creek, they are also partial to caddisflies, or were at least biting on them. unfortunately i cant catch any of them. all i've been able to catch thus far are creek chubs.

yesterday i kayaked about 2 miles upstream from 151 on the raccoon creek and didn't see anything other than minnows and had no other fishing luck. i did manage to break my paddle when i tried to kayak over a log and got stuck. thats all the news i have today.

allegheny river

2007-07-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

i have returned from my vacation and decided i would again update my blog with the latest of happenings. my brother and i spent five days conoeing the allegheny river from its humble beginnings at the kinzua dam to the quaint town of emlenton. we completed this trek in a large unwieldy, yet surprisingly nimble metal canoe.

we covered 107 miles of this beautiful pennsylvania terrain, camping on islands, trying to get my camera out in time to get pictures of herons, eagles and other assorted wildlife and deftly maneuvering rapids and riffles along the way. we had zero tippages, and this included us making it through the class 2 rapids in oil city.

the fishing was fantastic, with both of us bringing in about 10 smallmouth bass each. we really only spent the last two days (franklin to emlenton) fishing, so i cant really verify how the fishing was for the first part of the trip. if anyone reading this has a weekend to kill, and enjoys extended periods of time in a boat, i highly recommend putting in around franklin and riding it down to emlenton. river maps can be found at the pa fish and boat commission webpage ( www.fish.state.pa.us). well, thats enough on that, i really just wanted to post a few pictures, but felt i needed dialouge to accompany them.

Happy Birthday

2007-07-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

i wanted to point out to any faithful & patient readers that i might have that today is the birthday of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, pioneer of the rigid dirigible. Happy Birthday and thank your for you pioneering spirit and extraordinary work in the field of airships.

trout fishin' in western pa. part 2

2007-03-21T22:20:00.000-05:00

as april draws nigh, so does the beginning of trout fishing in western pa. throughout the commonwealth, anglers are picking out flies and brushing up on their knot tying skills. as trout season draws nigh, so does "trout fishin' in western pa. part 2" on joshua's blog. unfortunately it won't be so this year. due to the fact that last year my running log of fishing expeditions turned into a running log of visits to the chiropractor, i decided to put this section to rest. it is also being laid to rest because i'm lazy and don't feel like updating my blog every other day. (my current pace is roughly once every few months.) i rarely turn my computer on every day. pictures may be put up, if i feel so inclined, but in parting, i'll leave with this excerpt from Trout Fishing in America, by Richard Brautigan:
It was not an outhouse resting upon the imagination:
It was reality.
An eleven-inch rainbow trout was killed. Its life taken forever from the waters of the earth, by giving it a drink of port wine.
It is against the natural order of death for a trout to die by having a drink of port wine.

au revoir, ma cherie

2006-12-14T21:56:00.000-05:00

good bye, stacey
or
sappy poetry for my ex-car

you were brown
i wore you down

once you were hot
but i rode you ragged

you lost your rear view mirror
i had mr smith screw it back on with a 3/8 inch bolt

when i let you alone
they hit you with force
when i was in you
they did the same
i did nothing...

over hills and down dirt paths we rode
thats why i tore through wheel bearings
that is what i am told

we met when you were merely 19, i was 20
i let you go at 152, i was only 25

i traded memories and character for a new sassy little sweetheart
i have no regrets, i did the same for you

on your deathbed, you made noises no mechanic had ever heard
i had a beard
i was still alive

they called sloopy
i called you a trooper
i sold you out
for 250 dollars

bon voyage, rest in peace

the nutmobile

2006-10-05T21:13:00.000-05:00

upon finding things like these freely roaming our streets, i don't dislike capitalism so much...

thank you planter's for making me feel good about america, again . . .

how i feel right now . . .

2006-10-01T18:26:00.000-05:00

Conspiracy

2006-06-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

So, Big Ben was in an accident today on his motorcycle. I have collected facts regarding the matter. You make your own conclusions.

fact: Ben Roethlisberger plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers
fact: he rides a motorcycle
fact: many people attribute the Steeler's wins to his play
fact: he was hit, while on a motorcycle by a woman with Maine license plates
fact: Maine is in New England, although people from Northern Maine may disagree with this fact.
fact: New England has its own football team called the New England Patriots
fact: there has been a sort of rivalry between the Steelers and the Patriots during the last few years
fact: many Patriots fans did not think that Pittsburgh should have been in the super bowl or the playoffs
fact: the Patriots were the defending world champs until losing the title this year to the Steelers
fact: there is good clam chowder in Boston
fact: Boston is in New England, although some in Northern Maine may disagree with this fact.
fact: I was once lost in Boston for many hours
fact: while in Boston, I did not have any contact with Sean Penn
fact: there is a cool bridge in Boston that I last drove over at 2:30am last august, and I was impressed with the view
fact: Sean Penn was in the movie Mystic River
fact: Mystic River takes place in Boston
fact: Sean Penn rescued people from flooding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
fact: hurricanes can be dangerous
fact: people associate sombreros with Mexican culture

yeah, I think the facts are pretty self evident. So I think that both Sean Penn and Mexico should be issued a formal apology for any blame which they may have accrued during this matter.

The Laundromat on June 6, 2006

2006-06-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

I did laundry today. While I wash my clothes, I normally read a book of some sort. Today was no exception. I'm a good bit into Demons (previously translated as the Possessed) by Fyodor Dostoevsky. As I was getting up to move my clothes from the washer to the dryer, a guy walks up to me and comments on my book. He states that he was checking it out while I was reading it and wanted to take a look at it. I assume he's a fan of Dostoevsky and hadn't heard of this book before, much like I had been until fairly recently. Then, he notes on the irony of my reading of this book on 06-06-06. I let this comment slide as I hand him the book to look at while I move my clothes. As I come back, he's somewhat confused and hands the book back to me mumbling something about how he thought it was a textbook on demons and its really a comedy. I tried to explain that it is 19th century Russian literature, but despite that, its quite good. He then said, "you're wild, man..." and then walked away.

I tell this only because I've never before been called wild for reading Russian literature, and find it quite satisfying now that I have been.

howdy doody

2006-05-14T20:22:00.000-05:00

my mother gave me a nice 8 1/2 x 11 of this incredible photograph today. i think it speaks for itself...

pistachios

2006-04-27T21:49:00.000-05:00

i've been hooked on them as of late. apparently, recent studies suggest that eating 1.5 ounces of pistachios a day helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

trout fishin' in western pa.

2006-04-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

since i got behind on updating my blog each time i went fishing, and most of my posts ended up being about fishing, i figured i'd condense it all to this one section which i could update. if you want more information than i'm giving or want to know where someplace is, just leave a comment.

04-01-06, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm: Pine Creek, Shaler , Pa.
No fish caught. Water was low. Temp in the 50’s with light rain. Used a stonefly nymph. About 9 other people in a ¼ mile section of creek.

04-03-06, 12:00pm – 4:00pm: Slipper Rock Creek, McConnell’s Mills State Park
No fish caught. Water was low. Temp in 60’s with clear weather then heavy rain and thunderstorms, then clear weather. Used nymphs. About 6 other people in fly fishing only section.

04-08-06, 7:00am – 9:00am: Slippery Rock Creek, McConnell’s Mills State Park
1 Brook Trout Caught – about 7 inches. Water was high and muddy. Temp in 40’s. Used streamer. 1 other person.

04-14-06, 12:00pm – 5:00pm: Slippery Rock Creek, McConnell’s Mills State Park
No fish caught. Water was high. Temp in 60’s with clear weather. Used nymphs, got some hits. About 6 other people in fly fishing only section.

04-17-06, 2:00pm – 4:30pm: Slippery Rock Creek, McConnell’s Mills State Park
No fish caught. Water was low. Temp in 70’s with clear weather. Used dry flies then nymphs. Got some hits on a caddis nymph. Saw some carp, but didn’t bother. About 8 other people in fly fishing only section.

04-21-06, 4:30-6:00: Traverse Creek, Raccoon Creek State Park
No fish caught, got some rises. Saw a 9 inch brook, but spooked when I had to get my fly out of a tree and stumbled in over my waders. Temp in 60’s with some humidity, then heavy thunderstorms and I left. Used a light Hendrickson. Saw 2 other people.

04-29-06, 1:00-3:30: Little Beaver Creek, Enon Valley
No fish caught. Water was really low, didn't even see any evidence of fish in holes. Used a light hendrickson. steep banks and alot of brush made fly fishing difficult. very pituresqu creek, though.

04-29-06, 4:00-6:30: Litte Beaver Creek, Darlinton
No fish caught. did alot of wading, water was shallow. found a nice whole and got some hits, but after sinking into some really deep mud and then losing a fly in a tree, i decided to call it a day. continues to use light hendrickson.

05-01-06, 4:30-6:30: Little Beaver Creek, Darlington
Skipped the long amount of wading and went right to the hole i was at yesterday. used light hendrickson. my fly was hit multiple times, but i could not set the hook. need to work on that.

05-02-06, 4:30-6:00: Little Beaver Creek, Darlington
Went to yesterday's hole. it was raining heavily so i used an olive wooly bugger. no luck. got really wet.

05-06-06, 12:30-5:30: Cross Creek Lake, Cross Creek County Park
Got out my canoe for the season. Ended up fishing for bass. Caught a 14inch largemouth on a red sneaky pete popper. very nice lake. lots of good nooks and wildlife.

05-10-06, 4:45-6:45: Traverse Creek, Racoon Creek State Park.
Caught 3 creek chubs, about 4 inches long. Used a light hendrikson. got some hits, saw a big trout under a tree, but by the time i found an angle to try and cast near him, i must have spoojked because he just sat there thinking i didnt see him. i almost walked over and tryed to pick him up but the water was fairly deep. he annoyed me. stupid fish. also of note, i almost got attacked by a nesting goose who i didnt see until i heard hissing about three feet from my ear on the bak behind me. only saw 2 other people fishing. a man successfully cathcing chubs and his son pulling in some small trout.

05-12-06, 4:45-7:45: Traverse Creek, Racoon Creek State Park
Once again, I was successful in catching creek chub on a light hendrickson fly. FOund some really nice holes, with some really big fish in them, that I couldnt seem to get to bite. On my way down, I used a muddler minnow. I fought with an played what I think was a small mouth three times until it funally took my fly, and left me to try and get its attention with a wooly bugger. no success. thank goodness for those little chubs or i wouldnt have any luck at all.

05-19-06, 11:00-4:00: Oil Creek, Oil Creek State Park
Water was high and cold and it rained a bit. A few hits late in the day on a light cahill. no luck with anything else. got very wet.

05-20-06, 10:30-4:30: Oil Creek, Oil Creek State Park
Caught an 8 inch brown trout on a black wooly bugger. Got some hits on a light cahill. water was nice.

05-23-06, 5:30-7:30: Traverse Creek, Racoon Creek State Park
Went back to the whole I found on 05-12. The water was a little bit lower. Caught 7 sunfish of some kind, between 4 and 9 inches. I think they might be smallmouth, but the coloring was more green and blue. Was using a sulpher. I kinda got annoyed at the little bass, because I saw 3 or 4 nice, big trout, but couldnt really get them to do anything besides swim up to and check out the fly. And then a little bass would go at it. Regardless, I caught seven and it was entertaining and hot.

06-03-06, 7:00-9:00: Little Beaver Creek, Little Beaver Township
So I took my younger brother trout fishing and all we did was anger some beavers. I also lost a fly in a tree and he lost a spinner under a log in deep water. The water was a good level, but really muddy. nice morning, although i didnt see anything or get any hits. He said he saw a nice sized trout, while sitting in a tree, but didnt have any luck at getting him to bite.

06-08-06: Racoon Creek Park
Didn't catch nothin.

06-14-06: Ohio River, Beaver
Caught a 16 inch carp on a worm. Not really fishing for trout. Just wasting time with my brother. had some real good beef jerky.

06-18-06: Little Beaver Creek, Darlington
Went with my brother. Didnt catch anything. The water was low and it was hot. There may be no fish left in this spot. Whatever. Good times.

07-10-06, 5:00: Beaver Falls
Went to the chiropractor behind my office because my neck was in alot of pain and he was the only one that could get me in today. they took x-rays and did this cool comnputer test on my back. the little meter bars near my neck on the computer screen were red and very long, indicating that i was not making up my pain. then the chiropractor did something to my neck. then my head was attached to a machine which i was told is called traction and it felt good.

07-11-06, 9:00: Beaver Falls
Went back to the chiropractor. I have a pinched nerve and an inflamed disc. He wantsa to see me every day for a week and then three times a week for two and then another determination will be made. They increased the traction and did something called ultrasound on me.

07-12-06, 4:30: Beaver Falls
Atthe chiropractor again. Traction went up to 5 pounds and ultrasound felt good. i am in less pain than i was in last week before i started and i was in alot of pain.

07-13-06, 11:30: Beaver Falls
Read an interesting article on batteries in Time magazine while in the waiting room of the chiropractor. Got an adjustment, some traction and some ultrasound. TOday it was not painful to drive.

07-14-06, 5:00: Beaver Falls
Read about genocide and civil war in Africa while in the waiting room. it kinda made my pain not really all that painful. the trip to the chiropractor today was spent thinking about third world countried while people did things to my neck/ shoulder area. Also bought new chest waders after my appointment.

07-15-06, 8:30: Beaver Falls
Woke up early on a Saturday to go so the doctor. I would have been awake anyway. Was in and out and had the day to enjoy.

07-17-06, 12:00: Beaver Falls
Snap, Crackle, Pop

07-19-06: Beaver Falls
Started to read about how our economy isnt as bad as the reports say it is. Still not buying it. Gas is almost $3 a gallon again. The physical therapist told me about how Mario Lemieux used to be a smoker. Also learned abouyt how higher oxygenated blood can help your muscles heal faster. Quick adjustment.

winding country roads . . . of our soul

2006-04-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

DSC00425, originally uploaded by doctorbrilliance.

i was going to write something profound to post with this picture, but i couldn't really think of anything applicable. i do recommend that you make yourself a cup of tea, sit back and put on some glenn miller . . .

zeppelins vs. blimps

2006-03-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

in keeping with my vow:

zeppelins have rigid frames which contain balloon like compartments which allow it to float. blimps have no rigid structure and rely on air pressure to maintain their shape.

led zeppelin made incredible rock n roll. blimpie makes sub par sandwiches.

2006-02-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

this appeared mysteriously and triumphantly on the wall in the alley behind my house . . .

Vice-President Shoots Man

2006-02-18T20:29:00.000-05:00

Applause goes out to the state of Texas and Vice-President Cheney for finally taking a progressive stance on something and legalizing the hunting of lawyers.

Sadocinemasochism: King Kong

2006-02-18T17:57:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I saw the movie King Kong. I wasn't sure what to say about it for a while. I thought that it might be mocking the conservative idea of the slippery slope1 when it is applied to homosexual marriages, as the movie was really a love story between an attractive idealistic actress and a giant gorilla.
I decided that interpretation of the movie was unfounded and probably just a coincidence. After much thought, I realized that this movie is the way it is due to lack of courage. This is not the movie Peter Jackson wanted to make. This is the movie he made because of his lack of will. Peter Jackson wanted to make King Kong vs. Godzilla, which is what I was also hoping he would make, but instead he just made regular King Kong with some overdrawn dinosaur fights. During the entire movie Adrien Brody, playing a playwright, spends his screen time trying to make eye contact with Naomi Watts, the afore mentioned idealistic actress, and then trying to woo her back from the monkey. His role is symbolic of Mr. Jackson. During this project I can imagine Mr. Jackson trying to clearly see and make eye contact with his masterpiece to be, King Kong vs. Godzilla. Unfortunately studio executives (Giant Selfish Monkeys) got involved, stole Mr. Jackson's love away from him and he had to try and win it back. He won it back by spending too much time having the ape fight the dinosaurs, which is what his entire movie was originally to be. Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson never really regained his movie back. This is seen by Naomi Watts (the ideal movie) running away to the top of the Empire State Building (the theaters) with the giant monkey (studio execs) only to be shot at by airplanes (the artist's spite and anger from having his precious art raped for money). Readers may say I am overcritical, but I feel sympathy for Mr. Jackson for having to endure what no artist should. Still, I am not sure that Peter Jackson is the risk-taker that most presume him to be. Readers become angry.

"Nonsense, Nonsense, blasphemy!" you shout as you hurl rocks in my general direction.
"Let me explain," is my only request, before I am stoned and thrown outside the village gates.

Things become rational, for the moment.

"What about the Lord of the Rings? Was that not a risk?"

Not really. Peter Jackson is part-hobbit. It was only natural for him to film these movies. Because of this little known fact, he knows the hobbits, and only had to pay them with fireworks, pipe tobacco and crumpets. Also, He already had a sealed viewing audience. He had all of the geeks in the United States watching it (roughly 2,814,216 people which is 1% of the population) and 60% of all females (82,832,137 people) because Orlando Bloom was cast as an elf. At $8.50 a ticket that's about 728 million dollars from box office sales, which isn't too bad, and that's not including random people who just like to see movies. After action figues, costumes and contracts for happy meals, the movie is definitely in the black. Therefore, little to no risk involved.

"But he uses wierd camera angles and random slow-motion sequences in action scenes"

No risky, but annoying. There is a difference.

"But he dressed up like a hobbit at the Oscars. That's courageous."

As I mentioned before, he is part hobbit, so it's not a real stretch. If Peter Jackson wants to prove, and he needs to, that he does indeed, as the youngsters say, have balls, he needs to go to the Oscars this year in a giant ape suit. If doesn't do that, he could at least remake Godzilla vs. King Kong.

Grade: B-, decent acting, the first half hour was delightful. Too much time in the jungle with nothing happening and too much time spent on people getting eaten by giant mealworms. No valuable lessons learned. Moments of very good writing. More moments of pointless action scenes.

1- The slippery slope is the moral decline of society. Once starting down that slope, one cannot come back up, as it is too slippery. Believers of slope theory believe that once homosexual marriages are allowed in the US, it will eventually lead to legalized marriage to animals. I'm not sure how, but that is the belief.

Best of '05: Music

2006-01-04T22:53:00.000-05:00

The following list contains a list of the best dozen new releases put out in the 2005 calender year. So if you decide to collect them all, you can fill a travel cd case. Brief descriptions follow the entries which I decided to describe.

1. Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin Vol. 1
- 70's rock album that came out this year
2. Beck - Guero

3. Sufjan Stevens invites you to: Come On, Feel the Illinoise
- Sufjan uses Dan's and/ or Matt's Banjo and some recorders to sing about Illinois
4. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

5. Nickle Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?

6. Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
- songs about banana pancakes and living in California
7. The Futility Parade - The Land Before Time VII: Prehistoric Pandemonium
- the unsung heroes of Memphis indy rock do it again
8. Amos Lee - (self-titled)

9. John Prine - Fair & Square
- an old man sings about being old without being too sentimental or too senile
10. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
- in one song, theword 'sidestep' is used
11. My Morning Jacket - Z
- bono meets the who and sings about putting cats in blenders
12: Gorillaz - Demon Days
- ficticious cartoon characters put out a sophomore album with dennis hopper

Sadocinemasochism: Syriana

2006-01-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

So I went to see Syriana. Actually I saw it three weeks ago, but I seem to have trouble finding time to write movie reviews when I could be playing video games. As a side note, congratulations to Lucas for winning the Heisman Memorial Trophy.
We rushed into the theater thinking we were going to miss the beginning as we had previously decided that a quick stop to Starbucks was more important than the previews, which was justified as it was good coffee. The movie starts rolling. It turns out it was about big oil and not bank heists. About twenty minutes through the movie, Matt Damon’s kid died and lights started flashing. I thought this was a new cinematic gimmick, which was pretty cool, but it didn’t stop. Eventually some kid came in and informed the movie going audience that the fire alarm was going off because some restaurant in the mall had a small fire, but we were in no danger. After about 10 minutes of trying to get people to thumb wrestle me, the movie came back on, for about 10 minutes. I need to note that during the first intermission, a man 2 rows up fell asleep and started snoring. The movie came back on and we learned more about George Clooney, a Farsi speaking CIA operative and we learned about the inner workings of global trade and the oil industry. Then there were some more flashing lights, a second intermission, and then the movie came back on and finished. Unfortunately our friend two rows up didn’t wake up. Not to worry though, we were all given free admission to another movie of our choice to use at a later date. So our middle-aged snoring friend can come back and see Syriana again.
After the movie, we headed to our favorite local establishment, Tom’s Diner. I order a country breakfast which included pancakes, eggs and bacon to go along with my coffee. Often, I mumble. So while eating my two eggs, two pieces of bacon and pancakes I continued to mumble. As I was attempting to say something, Matt says, " What’re you speaking over there, Farsi (the most commonly used Persian language which was also spoken by George Clooney which made him a top notch CIA operative)?" We hear a voice chime up and see an inquisitive face peer at us from across the aisle; "Farsi, you speak Farsi?" Without giving us a chance to deny knowledge of how to speak Farsi, we starts speaking to us in this Persian language, only to be disappointed by the fact that we do not know how to speak Farsi. We then proceeded in speaking with this man for about half an hour. We learned that our Iranian friend, likes America because of beer, but was disappointed that everyone in Pittsburgh likes football and soccer. We learned that Iran is in the World Cup this year. Unfortunately he couldn’t watch it though, because the Steelers game was on. We learned that he doesn’t like soldiers or trust people with guns. We also learned that in Iran he was a dental assistant, but could only find a job here washing dishes. Which brings us to a social dilemma. There are about 33.5 million foreign born people in America, which makes up almost 12% of the population. After reviewing information from the Census webpage, we learn that foreign born workers are more likely to work in service jobs and less likely to be in management. Almost a quarter of foreign born households make less than $20,000 a year. This can be viewed as an extended branch of institutional racism. This has been going on since our country's foundation, where the minority is entitled to the work that no one else wants. We rationalize it to ourselves that since they can’t speak English well or without an accent or for whatever reason we feel like making up, then they aren’t entitled to good work. My gyro eating friend from Iran is a living example. In Iran he was a dental assistant, but here he has to wash dishes.
So from Syriana, we learn not about the evils of capitalism and how greed runs the oil industry with no eyes for morality, but we learn a more domestic lesson. We learn about the greed of our own society and how alike it is to the oil mongers. We learn about the inequality and the injustice that is right down the street at Tom’s Diner.

Grade: B+, although if I watched it again without disruptions of flashing lights and people falling asleep it may tie together a little bit better and it would probably get an A-.

my vow

2005-12-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

so i created a "blog". i have done this mostly in attempt to slowly incorporate words which i have made up into everyday vernacular. before i actually begin this delicate experiment, i am going to publicly make a vow for everyone, if anyone, who should stumble across this. It reads as follows:

I vow:
-to not use words like blogdom, blogiverse, bloggify or any other word which sounds similar, is not real and although the creator may think it is clever, knows is not.
- to use other words which i make up without shame.
- to not consider myself elite and the superior voice of any given subject because i have a blog. i reserve the right to consider myself the superior voice of any given subject for any number of other reasons.
- to talk occasionaly about dirigibles, blimps, zeppelins or other large flying devices.
- not bore the reader, should there be any, with my day to day feelings or ponderings which no one wishes to read.
- completely bore the reader, should there be any, with plenty of other inconsequentialities.